ABC Hunters
by Blastos X4
Summary: What goes on in one of those Hunter clubs on Pioneer 2? Is it an orderly conference of serious hunters looking for heroic quests? Not for Team ABC. Rated R for cursing and stuff.
1. Know Your ABCs?

**PSO: ABC Hunters**

Disclaimer: Sega owns Phantasy Star Online and any characters I didn't make up. 

Onboard the various convoy ships surrounding the City on Pioneer 2, there exist sections and blocks/rooms devoted to hunters. Many of these blocks are reserved for clubs and teams of hunters. They vary in membership and name. Whether it's the clash of classical and mechanical in Alpha Beta or the mythological theme of the Covenant, there is none quite like ABC. Each member is designated with a letter of the alphabet, depending on the sound of his or her first name. This is the only hunter team on Pioneer 2 that has an political/cultural leader, a multi-billionaire, a one of a kind Android, and a newman with an interesting disorder. The only thing holding the team back is that its membership is just barely half full.

A Humar, a Fonewearl, and a Racaseal, effectively covering all races, genders, and hunter occupations, founded the team. Leading the team is the Humar playboy, Ace. When he's not with the ladies of Pioneer 2, he points the team in the correct general direction. Next in line is Bea the Fonewearl. Her function is to act as the glue that holds the team together. The last of the primary members is the Racaseal, Ci. She is the negotiator of the group, and garners respect from most of the people around her. These three were the founding members and they continue to move the team forward. That doesn't mean that there is ever a quiet moment.


	2. The Explosion

The Explosion

There were nearly two-dozen people in Block 005 on the Hunter Ship Titania, flying alongside the main ship of Pioneer 2, coming out of hyperspace in the orbit of a blue planet. The ceiling was high and the room was circular, with the look of a club/restaurant. The middle of the room was unusually devoid of furniture, allowing people to stand around, mingle, and dance. Around the rim of half the room, there were rounded seats and tables and booths. The other half had a small stage, currently occupied by a band of four women playing a soft song. All four had fiery red hair, golden eyes, and tanned skin. The 3 instrument players were dressed in colorful vests and puffy pants. The singer wore a, dark pink, loose dress and a red jewel over her chest, all of which was appropriate for special occasions. Indeed it was a special occasion. When the song was over, the room applauded, and a tall, handsome, young man walked onto the stage. He had moderately long hair tied into a ponytail, ever-so slightly tanned skin, and friendly green eyes. He was dressed in the somewhat standard uniform of a Humar with a red shirt, shorts, and a black body suit underneath it all.

"Great song guys," he said to them, before turning to the rest of the room. "That was _Whole New World_ performed by Nofi and the…uh…"

"Gonitchlz," the singer said for him.

"Yes, Ace, it's hard to say," someone said dryly from the crowd. Ace pinpointed the voice from another young man of similar height. He had dark tanned skin, dark tapered hair, dreamy brown eyes, and a taunting smirk on his face. His clothes were an orange shirt with black sleeves, black jeans with matching sneakers, and spiked bracelets.

"Uh…yeah!" Ace smiled nervously. "Anyway, I'm glad that just about everyone could make it today. And _as always_, thanks to Jay for providing the music, food, blah blah blah, y'know…like he always does."

"Damn straight!" Jay called out again, causing the rest of the room to laugh.

"Hey, it's starting!" said a small light tan Fonewearl, with pool-like red eyes, in a tie-dye outfit of a puffy blouse, and a skirt over shorts. Even with her platform shoes, she was still incredibly small. She had a bandanna tied over her bright pink hair, with pigtails hanging out the back. She ran to the windows that were being unveiled near the booths, followed by nearly everyone else. "Mommy, what's that blue light for?" she asked, referring to the blue beam being directed down toward the planet.

"That's the communications link," said a smiling pink-haired Fomarl in a solid yellow dress and matching hat and shawl. Then, they saw a red beam of similar intensity shoot up from the planet and next to the blue beam. "When those two lights meet, Pioneer 2 and Central Dome can talk to each other. Then, we can go and live down there."

"Pretty," the girl marveled, pressing her face to the glass.

"Hey, Jay," Ace whispered to Jay. "There's gotta be like 50,000 chicks between Pioneer 2 and Ragol, right?"

"Sure," Jay said, rolling his eyes. "Just remember that we have to land first, before you start hitting on them." A blue-haired Fonewearl in purple and black popped up between them. She had purple eyes, light tan skin, red eyeliner and face paint, and a jester hat.

"Hi, guys!" she said, wrapping her arms around their waists since she was over a foot shorter than both of them. "I just got here. What'd I miss?"

"You're just on time," Ace replied, looking back to the view. The two beams combined into one and disappeared. The room erupted in cheering. Then, there was a blue planet-shaking explosion on Ragol where the red beam had come from. The ship shook from the force of the explosion. When the blue energy dissipated, there was a dark cloud where it had been. Everyone in the room stood silent.

"What the hell just happened?" asked a tanned redheaded Hunewearl in black short shorts and small shirt.

"It appeared to be some sort of massive explosion," said a silvery blue Racaseal with a silky silver bob cut hairstyle.

"Don't tell me Central Dome blew up," moaned a blond Fonewm with a big hat in brown.

"Aw crap," Jay muttered, staring at the cloud. "There go my investors."

"Bea, Ci," Ace said to the Fonewearl and Racaseal standing next to him, respectively. "You two go check with the Principal about this. If he tells anyone, he'll definitely tell you. Everyone else…"

"To the Transporter!" Jay announced valiantly.

"Actually," Ace corrected, "I was gonna say that we should just sit tight."

"Killjoy," Jay muttered. Five minutes after Bea and Ci had left, everyone was talking amongst themselves about what had happened.

"On a lighter note," Jay said to Ace, sitting at a booth, changing the subject, "who's your next _conquest_?"

Ace grinned widely. "You know I'm always on the look out for girls. But if you mean who's my next major project, it's definitely Q."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Jay asked drly, glancing at Ace's next target. Q was the redheaded newman in black, sitting a few booths away, drinking by herself. "She's not the most stable person around."

"But she's hot," Ace smirked. "Besides, I got El to go with me before. If I could convince her, why wouldn't I be able to work my magic on Q?"

"El doesn't kick you in balls for saying her full name," Jay muttered, arching an eyebrow.

"Turn me on, baby!" a giddy voice shouted loudly, coming from Ace's person. He quickly answered the phone in his pocket, grinning with embarrassment as the whole room turned to look at him.

"Hello?" he said, avoiding the stares. "Oh, Ci, what's up? Gotcha."

"Well?" Jay asked expectantly. "What happened?"

"Well…no idea," Ace said, receiving a simultaneous groan throughout the room. "The government doesn't know. But Ci said that in a little while, the government is probably going to send Hunters down there to check it out."

"And so the saga begins," Jay said like an announcer. "I wonder what's on my list of things to do today?"

"Absolutely nothing," said a woman sitting at an adjacent table who looked identical to the band players. There were several other similar women seated with her. "Not now, anyway."

"Thank you, Ilaea," Jay said, standing up. "To the Transporter!"


	3. BJ or JB

**BJ or JB**

Ace, Bea, Ci, and Jay had just materialized in a forest on planet Ragol. Ace had his blue photon Brand. Bea had the red Fire Scepter Agni. Ci had a basic photon handgun. Jay had an oversized sword, emanating a green glow.

"Jay, where're your guards?" Bea asked him, noticing the absence of the redheaded women with golden eyes. "You always have them around?"

"I'd rather not risk their lives in a place that just exploded," Jay answered dryly.

"Speaking of which," Ci said, looking around the clearing in the forest, "one wouldn't be able to tell that there was an explosion."

"Well, let's get to Central Dome before we think about it too much," Ace said, moving forward. A ring of brown, furry creatures popped out of the ground around them.

"Looks like they think otherwise," Jay said, readying his sword. "I'll take the ugly one."

"How do you know that they'll attack us?" Ci asked cautiously.

"I don't know, Ci," Jay said sarcastically. "Maybe it's the gnashing teeth, the huge claws, or the ominous approach that reminds me of a zombie. But ya never know. That could be just their way of saying 'Hello, welcome to Ragol'."

"Take it to 'em!" Ace shouted, lunging at the nearest Booma. His photon blade sizzled into the monster's flesh just before the Booma swung at him with its claw as he ducked out of the way. Bea was setting the Boomas on fire one by one with Foie. Jay slammed his sword into three Boomas, knocking them over. Ci stood in place putting a photon bullet in the head of every Booma she could. Soon, all of the animals were dead.

"That was interesting," Jay said, leaning on his sword.

"The explosion didn't kill the animals," Ci noted.

"But they aren't acting like the report said," Bea added, looking at the Inventory Status Link (ISL) on her left wrist. "The animals on Ragol are supposed to be peaceful."

"Let's keep going," Ace said, walking through a mechanical gate. They reached another clearing.

"Hey, this is the land I was gonna' buy!" Jay shouted, with hands on his head. "It's exactly like the brochure."

"Even the giant convulsing sac of pus over there?" Bea said, pointing to a Monest under a tree.

"Let's avoid that," Ace said, looking in another direction. "Let's go this way instead."

"You mean to the ominously dark cloudy area over that hill?" Jay asked. "Let's just take that transporter."

"I have to go with Jay on this one," Bea said, as Jay grinned teasingly at Ace.

"Ace and I will go this way," Ci suggested. "You and Jay use the transporter. Stay in touch," she said, pointing to her wrist.

"ISLs," Ace said, smiling as he and Ci continued on their path. "The best thing since…modern free-thinking androids."

"I don't why you're trying, Ace," Ci said, with a knowing smile. "It's not as if I'm…_equipped_ for what you want."

"For me, it's close enough," he shrugged. "A girl's a girl." They came to another clearing, but this one had no other path.

"It seems we've reached a dead end," Ci said, looking around. She heard a peep and looked to the side.

"Hey, look," Ace said, kneeling in front of the small yellow bird that made the noise. "It's a baby Chocobo!" They heard several thudding noises all around.

"Those are not Chocobos," Ci corrected him, seeing the clearing full of the fowls, which were now approaching them.

Meanwhile Jay and Bea were just materializing into their next destination. They appeared in a dark, ominously cloudy place where it was drizzling.

"Aw crap," Jay slapped himself on the head.

"Way to go," Bea said sarcastically. "Well, at least we can see the Central Dome from here." They walked through a nearby gate and found themselves in a larger clearing with a small pond to their left. A pack of wolves leaped out the bushes and began to stalk them.

"Peaceful my ass," Jay said, readying his sword. He ran forward and slashed at one, which jumped out of the way. A bolt of lighting from Bea immediately zapped it.

"Try the spin-slash!" she called out to him.

"Good idea," Jay said, extending the sword to his side. Bea tossed Foie in his direction. Just before it hit, he spun around in a circle, spreading the flames into the wolves while hitting them with his sword at the same time. They all keeled over quickly.

"Team BJ strikes again!" Bea cheered.

"I like team JB more," Jay said.

"But B comes before J," she contended.

"Yeah," Jay admitted. "But who wants to be called BJ. Anyone could twist that straight into the gutter." Jay suddenly got a bad feeling and leaped toward Bea, just as a Hildebear landed where he had stood.

"Good instinct," Bea complimented, shooting a fireball at the large monster. The animal leaned back and blew its own fireball at the two, overpowering Bea's attack. Jay and Bea easily dodged it and stood side-by-side.

"Unexpected," Jay noted. He ran forward to slash it. The beast merely caught the blade with its hand, with little pain, and jerked it away from the Humar. Jay stepped back to Bea.

"Blast it?" she asked, pointing her scepter forward.

"Blast it," he said bitterly. A small flame floated toward the monster and exploded in a ball of fire. When it dissipated, the beast was still approaching, tossing the hot sword over its shoulder.

"Try ice," Jay said, taking out his handgun.

"Can't," she said, stepping back to the edge of the pond.

"That's right," Jay remembered, taking shots at the Hildebear. "You never could do ice. Any idea why?"

"Not the time," she said, zapping the Hildebear with more Zonde bolts. Just as the Hildebear was about to swing its fist at them, it collapsed, forcing them to jump into the pond before it landed on them.

"That was interesting," Jay said, wading in the neck deep water. He reached underwater and held Bea up so that her head was above the surface.

"Ack…sure," she said, spitting out the water. "Now let's get out of this dirty water." As soon as she finished that sentence, three Hildebears stomped into the clearing and began shooting fireballs at the two just as they ducked underwater.


	4. AC Cools It Down

**AC Cools It Down**

"I'm surprised at you, Ci," Ace said, looking over his shoulder as they exited the clearing. "I would've expected something like that from D, G, and Q…definitely Q." His Racaseal friend followed him out wielding two silver GF-38 mechguns with spinning, smoking barrels.

"I am a peaceful android," she said mildly. "When I am attacked, I defend myself."

"All those bodies," Ace shuddered. "Oh, well…At least you're sexy when you slaughter small animals."

"Guys, get here quick!" Jay's voice shouted through their ISLs. The Humar and Racaseal ran to the transporter and teleported. When they arrived in the rainy area, they headed through the gate, towards the racket. They cautiously moved forward and saw the Hildebears spitting fireballs at Jay and Bea, who were ducking underwater each time.

"Wish I had a camera," Ace snickered. "Hey, Ci, go in there and cool 'em off." She snuck behind the Hildebears and deployed a floating trap mine. She sprayed a few bullets onto the beasts' backs to get their attention. When they turned to attack her, she shot the mine to set it off. The blast froze the Hildebears in solid ice. Then she held down the triggers on her GF-38s, letting the photon bullets melt through the ice and penetrate the monsters. Ace leapt towards on of them and sliced his Brand into the skull of a Hildebear. One of them broke out of the ice and began to thrash about, knocking away Ace and Ci.

"Here I go!" Jay shouted, jumping out of the pond with a smaller, more eloquent sword. The monster turned to strike him, but he jammed the sword into its chest. While the Hildebear staggered, Bea had crawled out of the pond. Jay helped her up and nodded to her. She leapt onto his back and then on top of the Hildebear, stamping on its head with her clog-like shoes. By now, the other living Hildebear was beginning to break out. Ci began to shoot both, while Ace stabbed into the partially frozen one. Jay pulled his sword out and backed away as Bea jumped down beside him. The Hildebear fell dead in front of him, while the partially frozen beast stopped moving.

"Man, what a rush!" Ace exclaimed, turning off his Brand.

"Haven't done something like that in a while," Jay said, sitting on the ground with Bea. "I've been spoiled on Pioneer 2."

"I don't think we'll be landing for a while," Bea commented, panting.

"Perhaps we should head back," Ci suggested.

"When'd you get those huge guns?" Jay asked, suddenly full of energy.

"I wish," Ace snickered.

"Ahem," Ci said, ignoring the lewd comment. "I had to dispatch a large number of animals."

"Baby chocobos," Ace whispered.

"Damn," Jay said. "Remind me never piss you off. I'd expect that type of thing from Q, but damn."

"They weren't baby chocobos," Ci said, getting annoyed. "Now would you like to continue or not?"

"It probably won't take much longer," Ace said, walking to another gate. He looked on the other side and cursed, "Damn, that's a lotta bodies."

"Screw it," Jay said, getting up.

"Agreed," Bea said, creating a portal. "I'm cold, wet, and tired. And unlike you all, I don't have personal servants to get me back in a good mood."

"They're employees," Jay said, stepping into the portal with her. "I pay them and maintain a signed contract. Ace and Ci just have a lot of fans."

"There's an idea!" Ace said, following them through the portal. Ci quietly followed, also growing tired of the rain matting her synthetic hair across her face.

"And then these huge monsters fall out of the sky and attack us!" Jay said to the other team members, back on Titania. "They had huge hulking arms, narrow yellow eyes, and spat fire."

"And they took my Rafoie like it was nothing!" Bea added.

"You alright, Princess?" asked D, a massive purple Racast with wide shoulders. His head had a shogun-like helmet on it, with a narrow jaw and glowing yellow eyes just underneath his helmet. He was drying Ci with a towel, while another Racast, G, was checking for injuries. G was taller, but not as large. He was black, with a flat-topped head, a wide jaw, and a pair of more intimidating yellow glowing eyes.

"Really, I'm fine," she said modestly, as G offered her a drink.

"You've got a little mud in your hair," G said, looking through her silver locks.

"What?!" she raised her voice. "Go find some shampoo! Quickly! This hair stains easily!"

"So, Q," Ace said to the Hunewearl, leaning over her against a wall. "You got a boyfriend?"

"No," she said, giggling.

"Aw, don't tell me!" Ace said disappointedly, noticing her unusual giddiness. "You took your medication?"

"Mm hmm!" she smiled cheerfully. "That explosion made me really angry. So, I went home before it got out of control. And here I am! It's a good thing, too. Since you're asking me out, I probably would have cursed you out and hurt your feelings like a mean person."

"But now there's no challenge," Ace complained. "Oh well…what do ya say?"

"I'll think about it," she giggled, walking away. "Boy, am I going to be mad at you later. Asking me while I'm sky high. Heeheehehehe! You're such a silly goose!"

"Damn prescription drugs," Ace muttered.


	5. Do You Want It That Badly?

**Do You Want It That Badly?**

Ace lied in his warm bed, sleeping comfortably and snoring quietly. The young pink-skinned newman woman wrapped in his arm slept contently as well, drooling the whole time. Her long hair was blonde, with pink strands here and there, and brown on the very top of her head. Ace shifted in his sleep, reaching under himself and tossing a pair of bra and panties out of the bed, and returned to his peaceful slumber.

Suddenly, his house phone system cooed seductively, "Ace, honey. Pick me up and turn me on."

"Ace, phone," the blonde woman said sleepily, wiping the drool off her face. He reached over her and picked up the receiver.

"Ace here," he yawned.

"Yes," the man on the other end said politely. "I understand that you are the leader of a club of hunters?"

"Uh huh," Ace yawned again.

"I was interested in joining. My name is…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ace rubbed his head. "I'm not the one you wanna' talk to."

"Who should I contact, then?" Ace struggled to remember the answer to his question. All he could think about were girls and sleep, but mostly sleep. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was six in the morning. With that mindset, he gave the only answer that came to mind.

"…Uh, look up El." He hung up the phone and lied on his belly as he had originally been. As he wrapped his arm around the woman next to him, he remembered something.

"Hey, Chandra?" he asked, stroking her hair and closing his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"Where'd your sister go? She was here…yawn…last night."

"Nowhere," she said, returning the infectious yawn. "I got your right arm so she probably got your left. Why?" After a few seconds of the wheels turning in Ace's brain, his eyelids burst wide open. He felt nothing in his left arm. He lifted himself up and saw the other woman beneath himself, sleeping completely naked. Unlike her sister's bright hair, hers was black with a few violet locks.

"Selene, you okay?" he asked nervously. Still half-asleep, she pulled him back down onto her. "Whoa! Don't forget my eight-hour rule."

"You're the one who took off my underwear," she grinned.

In a dark room, a woman was sound asleep in a black, circular bed. She had dark skin and long purple hair. Suddenly, her phone began to ring like an alarm. She tried to ignore it, rolling over. Soon, she buried her head under her pillow. When the tone persisted, she grabbed the receiver.

"This had better be good," she growled.

"I was told by Ace to contact El about joining ABC?" the caller said.

She groaned, "That ass! I don't have anything to do with interviewing new members!"

"Terribly sorry. Then, who should I contact?" El got an evil thought.

"Try Q," she answered. "And remember this. Don't EVER call me before noon." With that said, she hung up and tossed the receiver across the room.

A few hours later, Q's phone rang while she was eating her breakfast in a pink robe in front of the holovision.

"Yeah," she answered.

"I would like to join ABC," the caller said more directly.

"Why the fuck are you calling me about that shit?" she asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Pardon me?" the caller exclaimed. "El told me this morning…"

"Damn, you fucked up already," she said.

"Yes, I know… Must you use such language to a complete stranger?"

"It's a medical condition, asshole," she replied. "Anyway, call Ci. She's supposed to be our negotiator or some shit like that."

"Er…thank you," he said. "Tell me, what is your condition called."

"It's called none of your goddamn business. Shit…"

"Really now. Is that sort of attitude really necessary?"

"No, but fuck you anyway," she said, hanging up. "Shit. Guess nobody's ever heard of fucking coprolalia."

A phone rang in what looked like an office. There were several people sitting at desks, doing computer work, checking files, and answering phones. A fair, pink-haired woman in a pink blouse and black jeans answered this call.

She cheerfully answered, "Hello, this is Princess Cicia's residence and office. Pikalika speaking hear and how may I help you?"

"THE Princess Cicia?" the caller exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I was looking for Ci of Team ABC."

"Same person," Pikalika shrugged. "What do ya need?"

"I need to ask her about my possible membership."

"Oh, well in that case, you can call me Pi. Ci's really busy right now, as you probably already know. I'll see what I can do though. One moment please."

Generic elevator music began to play while he was put on hold. He didn't mind it at first. He even found the first song catchy. But as time passed, the pure monotony of old mediocre songs began to bore a hole into his mind. He couldn't tell how much time had passed. It could've been a few minutes or a few hours. He was slowly going insane as the tracks switched from one incoherent rap song to the next bland rock song. Then a recorded voice came on. His first challenge was over. Now he had to face the horror of pre-recorded dial options.

"If you'd like to support the Android Rights Association, please press one. If you'd like to file a complaint against the Android Rights Association, please press two. Si usted quisiera oír sus opciones en español, presione por favor tres…" He pressed one.

"Thank you for supporting our organization. We will contact you soon to collect your donated funds. If you'd like pledge now, press one. If you'd like to speak with a representative, press 2. If you are playing a prank, press 3." He wondered whether he should just cut his losses right then and there, but decided against it.

"If you would like to join one of our sister organizations, press 4." He pressed four.

"If you'd like to join the Newman Equality Organization, please press one. If you'd like to join the Gerudo People Association, please press two. If you'd like to join the criminal organization of Droids, please press five. If you'd like to join a hate group, please press six. If you'd like to join an unethical government organization, please press seven. If you'd like to join a club for unique hunters, please press eight. If you'd like to join Citizens Against Anti-Sweets Legislation, press nine. If you'd like to hear your options again, please press 0." He nearly blacked out through the process, but pressed eight.

"Hello?" a female voice said. "This is Ci of Team ABC. Are you still there?"

"There is a god!" the man exclaimed. "Thank you…thank you so very much!"

"You've passed three out of four of our tests," she said. "The tests of tolerance, patience, and perseverance."

"Aren't those nearly the same thing?"

"Maintain your tolerance for a little longer," she replied with a snicker. "Your final test will be the most important, making the previous trials seem needlessly torturous and pointless… This whole thing wasn't my idea by the way… You must meet with Jay."

"Wait, but I thought you were the negotiator?"

"I am. Jay is the spokesperson and doubles as a publicist of sorts. He is the final step. Meet him at the exact place I'm about to fax you…" The fax was sent.

"Should I come alone?" he asked, seeing how ritualistic the process was.

"It's not that serious," she laughed. "Bring as few or as many people as you want."


	6. Zed is Zee

**Zed is Zee**

The man met Jay at an ice cream parlor. Jay was in a more casual version of his black and orange outfit. He was a slim, somewhat feminine looking young man in a black shirt and pants, with short blond hair, and silver earrings. They sat at a booth to discuss his membership.

"So, what do you think?" Jay asked, idly looking at the front counter.

"I'm quite interested in your club," the man said graciously. "I've heard that it is one of the most selective and underrated Hunter clubs on Pioneer 2."

"Actually, I was asking what ice cream flavor you were going to get," Jay said and then shrugged, "but thanks anyway." An automated menu appeared on the table.

"Is it true that your club will only ever have 26 members?" the man said, picking his choice.

"Hmm, everything's sugar-free," Jay commented to himself. "Oh, well. Vanilla is vanilla. Stupid anti-candy legislation. What? Oh…yeah. Just fill out this form and we'll see if you're applicable." He passed the man a paper and pen. The man quickly filled out the form and passed it back, just as their ice cream was brought to them.

"I hope this will do," he said, digging into his treat. Jay read over the form and looked up at him with a silent snicker.

"Sorry, but you're not eligible," Jay grinned.

"What?!" the man exclaimed, nearly choking. "Why not? I'm a decent hunter. I don't have a criminal record or anything like that. What could possibly be wrong?"

"Two things," Jay held up the paper for him. "First of all, you're registered as a Humar. One of our secondary rules prohibits the membership of more than two of any class of hunter. We have two Humars already, Ace and me. However, if you were to change classes… Well, we might have a spot for you. We only have one Ramar and no Fomars."

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" the man raised an eyebrow.

"Hey," Jay chuckled. "After all the stuff you went through to get this far, I'd say you're a little extreme yourself. I mean come one, calling El at six something in the morning, calling Q at all, being put on hold for two and a half hours with sub-par elevator music, and then navigating your way through a recorded interface. Just _try_ and tell me you aren't dead-set on joining this club."

"Fine," the man relented. "I suppose I could become a Ranger."

"That's the spirit," Jay smiled, dipping a spoon into his ice cream. "Just one other little problem…"

"What's that?" the exhausted man asked.

"Your name's no good," Jay said, arching an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" the man asked, sighing heavily.

"Your name is Zedan," Jay said wryly. "All members' names must begin with the sound of a letter in the _English_ alphabet. Not _Espanol_, not _Mandarin_, not anything but the Modern English alphabet… Although I hear our rival club, Alpha Beta, uses an even older, albeit cooler sounding alphabet."

"This is unacceptable!" Zedan exclaimed. "It's no secret that Alpha Beta prefers androids, cyborgs, and techno-geeks."

"Well, yeah, but no one says that out loud…" Jay muttered.

"And besides," Zedan continued, "my name does indeed contain the sound of an English letter. The syllable _Zed_ is so audible, I don't see how anyone could miss it."

"This 'Zed' is not an English letter," Jay said, leaning his elbow on the table. "Sounds more like some sort of evil being. Now if your name was pronounced ZEE-dan…"

"Zed is the last letter in the alphabet!" Zedan yelled. "It's the same letter as Zee, just used in a different region, but the same bloody language!" Everyone in the parlor was staring directly at him.

"Damn, calm down," Jay said, finishing his ice cream. "I didn't know that Zed and Zee were the same… Let me just ask for a quick vote." Jay took out his phone and typed in a message for all the other members. Minutes later, he began reading the results. "Ace: no, Bea: no, Ci: yes, Heavy D: no, Mr. E: no. Not lookin' good for you."

"Let me see that," Zedan said, rushing over beside him.

"F: yes, Capital G: no, Kay: yes, El: no, Big O: yes, Pi: yes, Q: yes? I guess Q was in a good mood today. And Little T says yes."

"I win 7 to 6!" Zedan cheered, getting more stares.

"Actually, it's a tie," Jay said, putting the phone away. "My vote wasn't on there."

"So, what now?" Zedan asked disappointedly.

"Meh, no big deal," Jay shrugged. "Change your class and we'll talk."

"Thank you so much," Zedan said, shaking his hand. He paid for his ice cream and left happily.

Jay waited until he was out of sight, and waved over several people. They were a Hucast, Fomar, Fonewm, and a Hunewearl. "So, your name's are Zero, Zeon, Zeek, and Zima?"

"Who was that guy?" the short Hunewearl asked.

"Another potential member," Jay answered, beginning to smile. "Would you believe the guy spent hours torturing himself just to get to me about joining?"

"Why didn't he just look up who to ask on the web?" the white Hucast asked. "It's all over the website."

"And it's in all the credits of your cartoon shows," the kid Fonewm added.

"And in the Classifieds section of the e-news," the yellow Fomar added. "You'd have to live under a rock not to know."

"Or live on a hunter ship," Jay chuckled.


	7. Cursing Cutey

**Cursing Cutey**

In a dark room, Bea sat with her eyes closed amongst several other people. She focused her energy, slowly emitting a purple glow around her.

"Alright, Bea," one of the girls around her whispered. "You've got your aura going. Now, spread your energy outward and light the candles with the flame of your soul." Bea concentrated harder and slowly spread her aura outward, but it stopped short of the candles. With a small grunt, she pushed her aura further outward so that it touched the candles.

"It's not working, Mary," another girl said quietly. "Are you sure a purple aura is going to light candles?"

"Shut up and give her a chance!" Mary whispered harshly. "Okay, Bea. Intensify your spirit." The purple light grew brighter, but the candles remained unaffected. "Search deep within yourself. Feel it out."

"Use the force," one of the guys chuckled.

"Cut it out, Luc!" Mary chided.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." Bea began to weaken and her aura began to wane. Then she felt a foreign energy within herself. It was different from her. Then she heard a voice identical to her own.

_"Let me show you how it's done,"_ the voice said in her mind. Then, it felt as if Bea had lost control of her body to another presence. Suddenly, her aura turned a fiery red-orange.

"How did she do that?" one of the girls asked.

"Is it me or did it just get hotter in here?" Luc asked.

"You bet it did." The words came from Bea's lips but she herself had not willed them to speak. Nor had she intended to curl them into a smile. She became frightened and recaptured control, dissipating the aura instantly. Whatever that presence was, it had not only lit the candles, but also made a complete circle of fire around her.

"Way to go Bea," Luc said, patting her on the back. "Didn't know ya had it in ya."

"Neither did I," Bea said, panting.

"That's enough for today," Mary said, extinguishing the flames with a wave of her hand. "This meeting's over." Everybody got up to leave while Mary stood in front of Bea, who was still panting. After everyone left, Mary snapped her fingers to turn on the light. Mary was a darkly tanned newman with bob-cut hair that faded from red, to purple, to pink. She wore a black tank top, with bare midriff, and a black dress. She had several interesting tattoos on her body, including a black dragon that coiled around her right arm.

"I didn't make that fire," Bea said, steadying her breath.

"I know," Mary said, crouching down and holding Bea's chin. "But whatever made that fire was inside of you."

"Is it still there?" Bea asked as Mary looked into her eyes.

"I don't sense anything out of the ordinary," Mary said, feeling her forehead. "I guess it just possessed you for a second and then went off. It didn't seem to be anything evil."

"Thanks, Mary," Bea said, standing up. Mary slapped a charm onto her forehead and splashed her with water.

"Just checking," Mary grinned stupidly.

"Mary!" a human woman called from the doorway, tapping her foot. She wore a blue dress, had lighter skin, and light purple hair. "Did you start a fire in one of your meetings again?"

"No, Mom!" Mary said quickly. "It wasn't me! It was her!" She looked to where Bea had been just in time to see the remnants of a disappearing Ryuker portal.

"Don't try to blame this rubbish on one of your blasted _spirit_ friends, young lady!" her mother yelled, tapping her foot faster. "It's a good thing Cutey is on a date."

Indeed, Cutey, better known as Q, was on a date with Ace at a restaurant. They were eating lunch and Ace was listening intently to Q's life story/rant. He was wearing a red shirt and brown pants. She wore a yellow jacket and a blue skirt, a much more tasteful outfit than her Hunewearl costume.

"So your real name's Cutey?" Ace asked, chuckling.

"That's right, asswhipe," she said, blushing. "I don't give a shit if people know that stupid-ass name. Just don't fucking call me that."

"Pair it up with your last name and it's pretty interesting," Ace snickered.

"Yeah, yeah, Cutey Honey," Q said, smirking.

"So, do you still regret me asking you out?" Ace asked.

"Can't say I do," she shrugged. "You're a real mother-fucking charmer, y'know that, assface? I came here knowing that all you wanted was to…to…" She uncomfortably clipped her sentence and tried to reword it, mindful of the other customers staring at her.

"Get into your pants," Ace finished for her, smiling amiably. "Don't mind all those other people."

"It's not that fu…fu…easy," she stumbled, struggling to avoid the worst words.

"Well, we're finished eating here anyway," he said, getting up and leaving Meseta. "Just let 'er rip." Q blushed deeply and looked around at the people glancing at her. As they walked to the exit of the restaurant, she covered her mouth and muffled out an incoherent stream of swears. Nearly everyone in the restaurant gasped at what they heard, while Ace kept on a friendly, if slightly embarrassed smile. When they made it out, Q let out a heavy sigh of frustration.

"Goddamnit, I fucking hate this fucking shitty…" She clipped her speech again. "Shoulda' fucking took the goddamn shitty pill…dammit."

"That wouldn't be any fun," Ace said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "That would've made things a little too easy. I like to earn my rewards. And I was counting on you being a challenge." She took a breath and calmed herself.

"Damn straight," she sighed. "But damn are you trying. About how long does it take your ass to…uh…screw a girl after you first met the bitch?"

"Hmm," he thought. "Well, let's see. I usually aim for about one day. Some girls just refuse to do anything on the first date, y'know? In spring, it usually takes me a few minutes."

"You asshole," she laughed. "Those were newearls."

"Yeah, I guess that doesn't count," he grinned. "But what I'm really proud of is that I actually got two lesbians. I'm pretty sure the first one was a little drunk, but she was Dezoran so it balances out."

"And the second?" she asked.

"Ellen," Ace beamed. "You may know her as L."

"Oh my fucking god!" she laughed. "You're serious? The bitch had to be wasted."

"It almost ended up like that," Ace said, looking up in thought. "It took me a long time to even get her on a date. I had to pay her just to get started. After like a week of dates, I started dressing more feminine. A week or two later, I was in full drag with fake boobs and everything. She started drinking and I took her home. Apparently, she was wasted enough to want me, but besides a little touching and kissing, I didn't let anything else happen. The next day I convinced her to just try it."

"C'mon, there had to be more to it than that," Q said, intrigued. "That bitch doesn't just agree to shit like that."

"Yeah," Ace nodded. "I promised her that if she didn't like it, I'd pay her two grand."

"Pretty fucking confident," Q said, smirking. "So what happened?"

"Let's just say I got worried that I had overdone it," Ace said cryptically. Q gave him a questioning look. "She couldn't stop screaming for about five minutes. And then, for another few minutes, she couldn't say anything better than what you said on the way out of the restaurant. I got really worried, but my gut told me that it was a _good_ thing when she wouldn't let go of me for twenty minutes."

"So, she's not really a lesbian anymore, is she?" Q asked, mouthing out swear words silently.

"That's the thing," Ace said, frowning. "She got really depressed afterwards. And since I'm not the type of guy who just sleeps with a girl and leaves forever, I helped convince her that she was still a lesbian since I had offered so much money and I was still in drag."

"And here I thought you were the fuck 'em and leave 'em type," Q said, blushing at her own words.

"I kinda am," Ace said truthfully. "I'm not ready for any mono…mono…"

"Monogamous relationships," Q offered.

"Thanks," he said. "My point is that most of my dates end up as friends, but I still sleep with most of them every now and then. And I have a lot of friends. I know all the girls at Regalia."

"Y'know," Q smirked, "it's nice that you're telling me all this shit beforehand, but it's not really helping your chances."

"Like I said," Ace smirked back, "I like a challenge. And judging from your lack of swears, I'd say I'm winning." Q blushed as he squeezed her against his side.

_"Oh shit, he's right!"_ Q thought.

"Just to feed my ego," Ace continued, "I'll even tell you my strategy as we go. I've already fed you and had a heart-to-heart. Next, I'm going to butter you up with a little shopping and treat you to some massage therapy at the Jutto Spa."

_"Aw damn!"_ Q cursed to herself. _"He's got his shit lined up pretty fucking solid."_

"I've had plenty of experience," Ace said confidently. "Don't feel pressured in any way. Just enjoy the date. My strategy is always to make friends first."

"Careful," she said. "You might get stuck in the friend zone."

"That's the point," he chuckled. A yellow cab suddenly landed in front of them. The cab driver popped her head out, grinning.

"I'm not late am I, Ace?" she asked, wiping her long green bangs out of her face.

"You're right on time," he smiled back. "Q, this is Alcippe. Alcippe, this is my date."

"Hi…bitch," Q said, smiling nervously.

"Just ignore the cursing," Ace said, as they got into the hover car.

"Whatever you say," Alcippe shrugged. "Shopping center, right?"

"Right."

"You had this shit planned out this fucking much?" Q asked, astonished that the cab was pretty clean.

"Yep," Ace said as the cab lifted off. "I got a few of my friends to help me out. Aclippe is one of my friends."

"So you two…?" Q began uncomfortably.

"Hell yeah, we did," Aclippe said. "Girl, you won't be regrettin' this. I promised Ace I wouldn't give anything away, but I've never heard of any woman who didn't like spending a little time with him. He's not the smartest or richest guy around, but he's good to his friends. Real good."

"First recommendation, complete," Ace said, lounging back.


	8. The Wooing

**The Wooing**

Ace and Q exited the shopping center with bags of items. She was having a great day. Of all the things Ace had bought for her, she liked the collar with the bell on the front the most. Like many newmans, she loved bells. She batted it playfully, enjoying the jingling noise it made.

"So, you like how things are going so far?" Ace asked, carrying most of the bags.

"Uh huh," she nodded with a smile, tossing the belled collar into the bag. "Where's the cab?"

"She's not here anymore," Ace said. "I've got another ride for us." A black limo pulled up in front of them.

"You didn't…" Q gasped. A tall female chauffer in a black uniform and sunglasses stepped out and opened the rear doors. Her light brown hair was hidden under her driving cap. Her black-painted lips curled into a smile.

"Hey, Ace," she said in a sulky voice, taking the bags.

"Hey, Florence," Ace replied cheerfully. "You've got perfect timing."

"How the hell can you afford this?" Q asked, getting in.

"Well, I…" Ace stammered as he got in, blushing.

"He'll pay me back by the end of the week," Florence smirked, shutting the door.

"Today's all about you," Ace said, patting Q's knee. "Hey, Florence?"

"Under the seat," she said as the car lifted off. He reached under the seat and pulled out a bouquet of flowers.

"Here you go," he said, handing her the flowers.

"Thanks," she said, smelling them. Unexpectedly, he took one of the smaller daisies and weaved it into her hair.

"I like that look," he said, as her cheeks reddened. "It makes you look like a real cutie."

"We're here," Florence said, landing in front of the Jutto Spa, which looked more like a shrine than a regular building.

"Hey, this place is right next to Regalia," Q marveled, looking out the window at the smaller shrine-like building.

"You've been there?" Ace asked, a little surprised. Q, whose face turned red again, began muttering a string of swears under her breath. "Well, I don't plan on us going there…I mean unless you want to…"Unable to speak coherently, she shook her head.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Florence asked, lowering her sunglasses.

"It's best not to mess with her," Ace said uneasily. "She kinda has a…tic."

"What the fucking fuck are we fucking doing…motherfucker?" Q asked, unable to resist adding the last part.

"Remember how we bought those swimsuits?" Ace said, getting out of the car. Q fell into another stream of cursing as she got out of the car.

"You owe me so much for this," Florence said, opening the trunk.

"Is Friday good for you?" Ace asked, grinning with embarrassment. "Alcippe already took Saturday."

Bea walked into Jay's condo building, wanting someone to talk to without having to deal with Ms. Honey. He owned the first three floors, but she went to the third floor where his personal dwelling was. She passed the usual redheaded, golden-eyed, tanned Gerudo women that he always had around as "guards." To everyone but him, they seemed more like a harem. She walked through a hallway and knocked on his door.

"He's not in right now," said one of his guards, peeking out of another room.

"Do you know where he went?" Bea asked.

"Last I saw, he went into the basement."

"What's he doing down there, fixing a boiler?"

"That guy isn't handy at all," the Gerudo woman sighed, "so don't count on it. He's probably with Zola…oops!"

"Who's Zola?" Bea questioned, stepping toward the guard.

"I've got to go now, bye," she said, dashing back into her room. Bea went straight to the teleporter and ended up in the expected dim light of a basement. There were two doors on either side of her. She could hear talking on the other side of the blank wall in front of her. She put her ear to the wall and listened. One of the voices was Jay, while the other was a woman. Her sensitive ear easily heard the conversation.

"Is it supposed to be this long?" the woman asked. Her voice had a strange echo to it. Bea was sure she noticed a Gerudo accent.

"I don't know," Jay said. "Just grab onto it so it doesn't flop around too much." Then there was a pause. "Mind taking off your top?"

"Okay," the woman complied. Bea got a little edgy hearing this. She hoped they weren't doing what she thought they were doing.

"How does this feel?" Jay asked, just before the woman made a slight grunt. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really," the woman said uncomfortably. "It just feels a little uncomfortable."

"I guess I should expect that," Jay said. Then he added almost with alarm, "Wait a minute. When was the last time you had your…uh…period?" Bea got angry and felt fiery energy well up within her. Something in her raised her hand and blasted through the wall with a jet of flame. She recoiled at what she had done, but hopped through the smoky hole in the wall to make sure everyone was okay. She found Jay on top of a very pale nude woman with long fiery red hair. The room was huge, had a very large pool of water, and the walls were made of grey stone. There was also some furniture in the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bea exclaimed.

"I know what it looks like…" Jay began, and then angrily added, "Hey, why'd you blast through the wall?"

"Because!" Bea said and drew a blank, blushing. "…I'm sorry, I just wanted to talk because weird stuff's been happening to me lately and…"

"Hold that thought," Jay said, getting off of the woman and standing up. The woman instantly skittered behind him. Bea was shocked to notice a tailfin coming out of her rear. "Zola, this is my friend Bea. Bea, this is Zola." Bea dropped into a sitting position.

"Explain," she said, with a clueless look on her face.

Q swam through the pool in a slow backstroke, letting the water calm her nerves. Her swimsuit looked like a simplified version of her Hunewearl outfit, which was rather conservative for a swimsuit. It was essentially a black small shirt and black shorts of a wetsuit. So far, Ace was winning. She didn't like how everything he'd said was coming true. She was loving her date and beginning to like him more, all in one day. Suddenly, she felt a knot in her leg and instantly arched forward, accidentally sucking in water as she fell into another lapse of cursing.

"I gotcha," Ace said, holding her and swimming her to the side of the pool. "You okay?" She coughed and cursed at the side, crawling out. "That doesn't usually happen… You must be pretty tensed up over something to get a cramp like that. Well, it's all the more reason to go to my second favorite part of this place, massage therapy." He hopped out of the pool and wrapped a towel around her. They walked through a teleporter and reappeared in a waiting room. A tall, dark-haired athletic woman in white clothing seemed to be waiting for them.

"A few minutes early," she said, peeking at her watch. "Whatever. Follow me." She led them into a room with two elevated beddings. "Alright, hop on up and lie down on your back." Q did as told.

"Go ahead and take a break, Hilda," Ace said, beginning to massage Q's feet.

"What the fuck?" Q exclaimed as Hilda smirked and left the room.

"Don't sweat it, Q," Ace assured her, tossing a card up to her. "I'm a licensed massage therapist. And if there's one thing I know, it's that all women like foot massages. After that, I'll move on to your legs, neck, and back."

Q began to protest, but rethought it and sighed. "Fuck it. What the hell? Just don't fu…screw around, you fu…douche bag."

"Why are you holding back?" he asked, focusing on his work. "You know it'll only come back even worse."

"I…don't…fu…like to say this sh…stuff," she struggled to say. "It just…sounds wrong… It's fucking shit talk for the goddamn cunt's sake!" Even Ace had to blush at that last sentence.

"Just try to calm down," he said soothingly, moving to her calves. "If you relax, you won't be so stressed. Less stress equals less shit talk."

_"Now he's cursing,"_ Q thought anxiously.

"So," Jay concluded, "I was just checking to see that she's healthy and happy."

"So, you don't know what she is?" Bea asked, glancing at Zola diving back underwater.

"As far as I can tell, she's a hybrid of human and some kind of aquatic…fish-type thing. But she's definitely got Gerudo in her."

"Did you really have to take her top off?" Bea asked suspiciously.

"That's where most of her gills are," Jay said defensively. "Hey, Zola, let's give Bea another chance. I promise she won't freak out again, right?"

"I promise," Bea said shakily. Zola peeked out of the pool and climbed out. Her naked body was a very light blue, almost white. Her fiery red hair hung over her shoulders limply, while her long tailfin seemed to move around on its own. Her slightly clawed fingers and toes were webbed. The delicate fins at the sides of her hips seemed almost like an elegant skirt as they twitched regularly, in time with her breathing. Similarly, the fins on her forearms seemed like the hanging cloth on the sleeves of an elegant dress. Her eyes were like nothing Bea had ever seen. She had the golden irises of a Gerudo, but where the whites of her eyes should have been, there was instead total blackness. In her own exotic way, Zola was actually quite beautiful.

"She's not so scary once you take a good look at her," Jay said. Bea noticed a few things missing on Zola's body, specifically her unmentionables.

"Umm, but one thing," Bea said, not really knowing how to ask. "She seems to be missing a few…features." She saw a bright pink hue appear on Zola's cheeks.

"They only appear when I am…ready," Zola said nervously in her strange echoing voice.

"Or when she lays an egg," Jay added abruptly. Both looked at him, not laughing. "What? Both of you've done it before…Y'know…once a month…without taking that estrogen supplement."

"Please, don't tell anyone about me," Zola said to Bea, before hopping back into the pool.

"So, why did you blast through the wall?" Jay asked smugly.

"I thought you two were…" Bea blushed. "Something just came over me…I'm not jealous or anything." Jay couldn't help but get a huge grin on his face.

"Interesting," Jay said, beginning to pace around her. "You overheard a conversation that seemed to have a lot of erotic context. Now, we've _all_ walked in on Ace and one of his 'friends' at some point. So, it's not really anything new or surprising. Yet, in _my_ case, you heard some things that you didn't like, blasted through the wall, at which point I tackled Zola away from a jet of flame, and you found us in a very suggestive position…Plus, your face is as red as a beet." Bea was speechless, not knowing what to say out of embarrassment. Then, she noticed that Jay was also blushing despite his very wide grin. "Tell ya what; we don't say anything about this and just keep it between us. If you feel the same way I do, no one has to know sooner than we're ready to admit anything out loud. Do you agree?"

"That sounds good," Bea said stiffly. "Umm… Can she hear us?" Zola had been listening from the edge of the pool.

"I won't tell if you don't," Zola smiled.

"And just to make it unofficial," Jay said, pulling Bea close, "I'll tell you my real name."

"It'd better be pretty weird if you keep it such a secret…" Bea said smugly, listening closely. Indeed, it was a great secret that few other people knew. Jay had even taken the incentive to write an "unspoken" contract that prohibited the utterance of his name by anyone except him by threat of legal action. As for why he would do something like that, most of his friends agreed that he was just being overdramatic. "…I thought it might be something like that."

"Now remember, Bea," Jay smiled. "Just between you and me…Hit it!" At his command, his ISL began to play a song called _Together Forever_. "_You've been such a good friend_," Jay sang, picking her up.

"_I've known ya since I don't know when_," Bea sang along, blushing.

Ace was working on Q's back now. She seemed to have been asleep or nearly so ever since she had turned onto her belly. When he began to massage her neck, she flinched slightly and made a nearly inaudible gasp.

Ace grinned, _"Note to self: Q's neck is a spot."_ As he resumed rubbing her neck, she began to make another noise that Ace had learned to appreciate in his experience with newmans. She was purring like a cat, the equivalent of an unconscious moan. Ace could just imagine…but now wasn't the time to be thinking like that.He had one more trick up his sleeve.

"Hey, Q," he whispered gently, causing her ears to twitch involuntarily. "It's time to go." She refused to get up, just as he had planned. He wrapped a towel around her and lifted her into his arms. After recovering their belongings, he carried her back into the waiting limo. She snuggled against and him and purred as he began to stroke her neck and scratch behind her ears.

"So, you got her after the massage, huh?" Florence asked, putting on her sunglasses.

"No, she's just getting comfortable," Ace said, smiling. "But I am getting really close." After a relatively short drive, they stopped in front of a building. "Time to wake up, Cutey." Q readjusted herself and remained still.

"Hey, girl!" Florence yelled. "Time for you to get out! I've got other places to be!" Q slowly sat up and looked out the window.

"Wait," she said, letting her eyes adjust. "This is my apartment."

"Yep," Ace smiled. "I hope you liked our date. Want me to walk you to your door?" Q froze in place, letting his words process in her mind. This wasn't the Ace she had known. Wasn't the whole point of the date to get into her pants?

"Aren't you going to try to fuck me?" Q blurted.

"This is definitely going to cost you extra," the chauffeur muttered. "Listen, kid. That just wouldn't be gentlemanly of him. Furthermore, that's not very ladylike of you to ask."

"Fuck up, cunt!" Q shouted tersely, before turning back to Ace angrily. "And you, what the fuck is up with your shitty shit? You tell me all this shit about you going fuck me, building up all this good shit like the clothes, the fucking bells, and that goddamn massage therapy. And through all that shit, I'm trying to resist the whole fucking time. Like hell that worked. I was yours by the fucking time you started fucking around with my fucking neck. And now, after all that damn purring, your ass tries to drop me off at home? Don't the fuck you tell me you're just a big tease."

"Wow," Ace said, wideeyed. "Well…I just like to mess with girls first before…"

"Hey, bitch," Q said to the driver. "Take us wherever the fuck this jack-off usually takes his first-timers." Florence sighed and flew the car back to Regalia, near the Jutto Spa. One of Regalia's functions was to be a "love hotel."

"Wow," Q said, her anger dissipating. "That looks expensive."

"I've got a membership discount," Ace said, getting out. "Florence, I'll see you Saturday." She blew him a kiss and drove off. When they went into the lobby, the android receptionist instantly recognized him and waved him over to a teleporter. The teleporter took Ace and Q to a fairly luxurious suite. The lights were dim and a there was a holographic roaring fire.

"Nice," Q whistled. Ace wrapped an arm around her shoulder and began to stroke her neck. He led her to the bedroom. She got nervous at this point, but was surprised to see a completely average-looking bedroom.

"I like to keep it simple," he explained. "Just relax. I promise you'll like it."

"Listen, Ace," Q said hesitantly. "I haven't done this in a while. So could you…?"

"I'll take it nice and slow," Ace assured her, hugging her.

"That's more like it," she said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.

Before they could touch lips, the phone rang suddenly, "Turn me on, baby!" Q immediately threw it against the wall and stomped on it repeatedly.

"Goddamn," Ace sighed, as she effectively smashed it. After being satisfied with the pieces of plastic and wire on the floor, she returned to him and started over.


	9. Almost a Riot

**Almost a Riot**

The headquarters of Team ABC was filled with members, all waiting for the last few to arrive.

"Big O still can't make it," Jay said, taking a seat beside Bea.

"The transporter isn't big enough yet, is it?" she asked dryly.

"Bingo," he replied.

"What about Ace and Q?" she asked.

Jay began to snicker. "Well, when I called, the number wasn't available. I'm pretty sure she smashed his phone. Thus, we are left to one of two conclusions. Did Ace get his ass kicked by Miss Honey?"

"He scored," Bea said flatly. "Trust me. I've known him long enough."

"Oh, reeeally?" he asked suspiciously.

"Not like that," she grimaced. "I'm probably the only one who's resisted him."

"Five hundred Meseta says Q resisted," Jay said, tossing the money on the table.

"You're on," she said instantly. "…But I don't carry that kind of money around."

"If things go smoothly," Jay began, looking at the door, "you won't have to worry about money anymore." A very dark-skinned Ramarl approached. She wore black clothing with sky blue trim and a bare midriff. She also wore large, round glasses and had a long, purple ponytail hanging out from under her beret.

"I'll take a little of that," she said, tossing her Meseta on the table. "If anybody can bang that bitch, it's Ace." Before the other two could say anything, Ace and Q walked through the door, both looking particularly cheerful.

"Hey, guys," he said casually. "Sorry I'm late. Overslept." Bea and L smirked at Jay. "So, what's up for today?"

"A spy mission," Ci said, reading a memo and turning around to everyone else. "Listen up, everyone. I'll assume many of you have heard of the Couple's Night at the Varian Hotel."

"Effy and I got an invitation there," said a blond Fonewm in a brown suit with a big hat. "What about it?"

"It's a set-up," Ci replied directly. "According to our sources, armed robbers are planning to break in and steal everyone's valuables. It's fortunate that E and F already have invitations, but we'll need more."

"I'll take care of that," Jay volunteered.

"Good," Ci smiled. "Our mission is simple. We must blend in with the guests, find out who's behind this, and prevent it…And since this _is_ Couple's Night, everyone has to break into, well, couples."

"I call Bea," both Ace and Jay said simultaneously. They frowned and leered at each other.

"I call Jay," Bea said quickly.

"Then, I call Ci," Ace said, laying his hand on Ci.

"I like you, too, Ace," she spoke with polite sarcasm. "However, I would appreciate it if you refrained from palming my rear." He backed away, grinning stupidly.

"Mind if we stay out of this one?" G asked, folding his arms.

"Yeah, we're not really into mushy crap like that," D added.

"That's okay," Ace said. "It'd look weird for Racasts to go there together."

The two Racasts thought over his words for a moment. Then G blurted resentfully, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Ace replied quickly. "Anyway, you guys can watch Little T while were out."

"Ahem," coughed F the Fomarl in yellow with pink hair peaking from under her shawl. She politely said, "I don't think D and G would be comfortable babysitting a little girl. We've already scheduled a sitter."

"Well, then," Ci said. "That leaves Kay, L, P, and Q." Kay was the Ramar in light blue armor with a headband and short violet dreadlocks. P was the Hucaseal in pink and black with synthetic skin and grey eyes. The Ramar looked back and forth between P and Q. His sister, L, glanced at Q.

"Don't even think about it bitch," Q said quickly. "I won't even pretend to be a dke."

"Wasn't asking, bitch," L growled back.

"Let me make this easy for everyone," P said, walking to L. "See, now it all works out. Kay gets to keep Q from burning everyone's ears off, while I pretend to be L's girl."

"Works for me," L shrugged.

"Shall we?" Kay smiled, offering his arm to Q. She shrugged and hooked her arm around his.

"I thought you were a fg," she whispered to him.

He chuckled lightly, taking no offense at all. "No, I enjoy a woman's touch as well as a man's."

"Shit, my bad," she blushed. "I just thought that since your bitch, er cunt, I mean sister, was a dke, er lesbian, then you'd be a fg, I mean quer, no I mean… Fuck it, fuck it, fuck it!"

"Stop and breath in," he said serenely, placing a friendly hand on her back. She took a deep breath. "Now, calm and exhale." She gently blew out.

"If you're going to swear," L said, rubbing her ears irritably, "mind not setting off the auto-censors with epithets and ethnic slurs. The bleeping is really annoying."

"Shit, I can't help it if you're a dke, bitch!" Q yelled at her.

"Don't call me a dyke, nwk!" L yelled back. The entire room stopped.

"Alright, who said that?" Bea yelled angrily. "Who said the _n_ word.

"That's our word!" E said just as angrily. "You have no right to call this young lady a newk, ordinary."

"Dude, no one says ordinary anymore," Jay said dismissively.

"How would you know, rich-guy?" E asked abrasively.

"Cause you didn't get bleeped," Jay said simply. "The modern word is munger. Anyway, humans suck because they're boring. Newmans suck because they die too fast. And Androids suck because they die-hard, have more intelligence, and are all-around more efficient than everything else…Wait, that's not sucky at all! …And all we organics have are these lame-ass techniques. Well not all of them are lame, but what am I supposed to do with this Anti? It's not like I'm going to get poisoned so bad that I…" He stopped when he noticed Ci staring at him.

"Are you all quite finished?" Ci asked patiently.

"Sorry for calling you a dke, dke," Q muttered.

"Sorry for calling you the n word," L said.

"And we're done," Jay concluded.

"Now that that is settled," Ci said, "we can formulate a plan."

"I say we let the robbers make the first move and then we counterstrike," Ace said. Everyone agreed that it was a decent enough strategy. "Alright guys, keep a lookout for anything suspicious. See you all tonight." Everyone began to leave.

"Thanks for volunteering, P," L said.

"Don't sweat it," the Hucaseal replied coolly. "I'm the only choice that makes sense. Besides, I've been getting a little rusty with sweet talking women."

"I thought androids didn't do that sort of thing," L said, raising an eyebrow.

"Most don't," P smiled. "To tell you the truth, I don't really get anything out of it either, but I like to just have that experience on my 'resume,' so to speak."

"Wait, wait, wait," L said, halting the conversation. "We're talking about having sex with women, right?"

"Yeah," P chuckled. "But in my case, it's women or men."

"What were you built for, again?"

"That's my little secret," she laughed, patting L on the back. "Now, let's get ready for the party. I love parties."


	10. Couple's Night

**Couple's Night**

"Okay, Ci. Everyone's in position." Ace and Ci stood a short distance from the entrance to the party room. He wore a buttoned grey shirt with loose, somewhat hanging sleeves, and navy blue pants with wide pant legs. Ci wore cerulean teardrop earrings, azure lipstick and eye shadow, and a white dress that bared her shoulders.

"I hope I didn't overdress," she said worriedly.

"You look as beautiful as ever," he smiled.

"Always the lady's man," she sighed with a smile. "Come along, then."

"Are you sure you couldn't have found a better outfit?" Bea complained. Her companion Jay was dressed in a black suit and pants. Underneath that was a white t-shirt that had a black tie drawn on. She, on the other hand, wore a red dress, a black choker, and a black strapped blouse underneath a small, open purple jacket. They were just outside the restroom area.

"Did you get shorter?" he asked, looking down on her.

"I'm not wearing clogs tonight," she replied. She looked him over again. "You could have at least worn a real tie."

"I don't know how to tie this stupid thing," he said, taking the black garment out of his pocket.

"You're such a kid, sometimes," she sighed, taking the tie. "Kneel down so I can put this on you." He did as told and allowed her to begin the somewhat arduous task of making a tie.

"How do you know how to tie this?" he asked.

"Because I've worn one before," she said, finishing a knot.

"Last time I used one of these, I nearly hanged myself. I really, _really_ hate dressing up."

"Just hang in there," she said, as she tugged the garment, choking him. "Sorry about that."

"cough I shall have my revenge on all who support this evil attire," he rasped, as the tie was straightened.

"There, all done!" she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Now let's get back out there."

"Blast your girlish charm," he muttered, blushing.

"You look so much better without that ridiculous outfit," F said to her shorter husband E as they danced to disco music. He had wild, spiky blond hair, a red suit, and brown, shiny shoes. She wore a red halter-top, a bare midriff, and a black miniskirt.

"You know how it goes, baby," he said, stomping. "When I get dancing, I tear it up! I set the floor on fire!"

"Don't use up all your energy, honey," she warned. "We need to be ready when the time comes."

"I'm gonna' win that dance contest, Effy," he said, glancing at Jay nearly fall on Bea. "Just look at all those suckers struggling not to step on themselves. You and me, we've got no competition."

"I love it when you get your confidence going," she giggled.

"If I don't win the contest, I'm gonna get you hot trying," he grinned. Suddenly the music changed to a favorite of hers. "_It's gettin' hot in here. So take off all your clothes._"

"_I am gettin' so hot. I wanna' take my clothes off_," she sang, beginning to grind against him.

"Are you hungry at all?" Kay asked Q, who couldn't stop blushing. He was wearing a blue shirt and slacks. She was wearing a creamy yellow dress that covered all but her shoulders and arms. It had flowered embroidery and a green brooch that matched her emerald necklace and earrings. They were sitting at a table in a corner.

She chose not to speak, instead shaking her head. She hated wearing dresses, especially ones like this. They made her feel…frilly. She wrapped her arms around herself uncomfortably as he looked at her with that friendly expression.

"Oh, you're cold," Kay said, taking his black jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders.

The rosy color on her face deepened and she looked away from him. "Thanks."

"It shouldn't be much longer now," he said, checking the time on the wall.

P and L were over at the bar area, also waiting. P wore golden wristbands and a black dress with pink flower designs at bottom. L's dress was black, had drooping sleeves, and also had purple see-through cloth just below her neck. Her hair was let down in a way that it covered one side of her face.

"…And that's when I found out that I liked women," L finished, sipping from her glass.

"So, what's with the gothic theme?" P asked, gulping her drink down.

"I used to be a Goth," L said, signaling the bartender for a refill. "I went through the whole bit: the cynicism, the apathy, the forced depression, unforced depression, the black clothes and hair, the rainbow clothes and hair, and a slight interest in the occult. Those were some interesting times."

"So why'd you stop?" P asked, downing another glass.

"I got tired of the stereotypes," L answered. "Didn't help that some Goths were walking stereotypes, either. Plus, I just got bored of that mindset. So, what's your life story?"

"I'll give you just a little bit," P grinned. "I'm a special class of caseal-type android. Some bad stuff happened a while back. Right now, I'm pretty much in hiding. That's why I'm not listed as a citizen, thus allowing me to not only keep a low profile…but to also get this really cool skin."

"So, who owns you?" L asked, swaying a bit from the alcohol.

"Jay, Bea, and Ci, I think," P said unsurely. "It's all cool with me."

"Hmph. I didn't know that androids could own androids."

"I didn't know that this mission would take so long," P said, getting bored. "Let's go dance."

"I don't know," L mumbled, emptying her glass. "I think this alcohol is starting to get to me." P grabbed her and pulled her to the dance floor. Meanwhile, Ace and Ci were facing off against E and F in a tango contest. Ci and E were the leaders, occasionally glancing at one another.

"They may win the dance contest," she said to Ace, "but at least we will be the best at tango." She spun Ace away a short distance, and then pulled him back and press him against herself.

"Man, you're soft," he said as he was pressed against her chest. "I'd never expect you to have these."

"A little bounce never hurt anyone," she smirked briefly. She felt his hand go to a familiar place.

"Not quite as soft," Ace commented.

"It's only for sitting," she said, as the dance ended. Suddenly, swing music began to play. "We should sit this one out. I'm a bit heavy for swing."

"Jay and Bea seem to be giving E and F a run for their money," Ace said, keeping his arm wrapped around her.

"When'd he learn to dance like that?" F asked, as she swung her husband around to the dance.

"When'd he learn to dance at all?" E complained, as he rolled over her back and spun around. Jay was tossing around Bea like a rag doll. He pulled her up as soon as she slid onto the floor and tossed her into the air.  
"Can't beat this," they taunted E and F. Suddenly, the lights went out and the music stopped. A few small, dim green lights could be seen glowing in the center of the room.

"Everybody quiet and down on the floor!" a man yelled. "This is a stick-up! I want valuables on the floor. We ain't playin'!" Several green photon bullets blasted into the ceiling to prove his point. Almost instantly, a slew of other similar lights appeared around the room. When the lights came back on, nearly every couple had firearms aimed at the well-covered robbers in the center of the room. Those without guns had their arms extended, perhaps charging techniques.

"Looks like someone tipped off the Hunters Guild," Jay said, keeping his gun fixated on the robbers.

"Jay, that you?" asked a large male Android in a poorly fitting green tuxedo.

"And Bea, too?" asked a female Android in a blue dress.

"Gamma, Omega," Bea greeted them. "So, Alphabeta's here, too."

"I think I saw a few Covenant members," Gamma said.

"Exactly who's getting paid for this catch?" Jay asked. "Is there a cop somewhere in this crowd?"

_Note:_ I don't own whatever song that was. I like it, but I don't know the title of it...Whatever...


	11. Bloody Quest

**Bloody Quest**

It was a pretty quiet day at ABC. Everyone was just sitting around idly, until _they_ entered. Jay and Bea staggered in, both supporting each other and looking worn out. What was most noticeable to the rest of the team was their wet clothing. Bea, with no hat or footwear, was wearing Jay's orange shirt and using his black undershirt as a small hip wrap. Jay still had on one of his many undershirts, this one yellow.

"What've you two been up to?" L asked, lounging in a chair and reading a magazine.

"Don't start," Jay muttered.

"Today hasn't been a good day," Bea said with the same tone.

"What happened?" P asked, downing a drink.

"A couple of Hildebears decided to play golf with us," Jay answered.

"That sounds like fun," chimed in Little T.

"Well it probably would have been…" Bea began.

"…if we weren't freaking the golf clubs!" Jay yelled.

"What'd they use for balls?" L asked. She seemed to be very amused.

"Rocks," Jay mumbled. L burst into laughter.

"You hear something funny, Eliana?" Bea growled maliciously. L instantly stopped laughing.

"Your name's Eliana?" Q laughed. "That's the most retarded ass-fucking-backwards name I've ever heard!"

"I thought we all agreed not to call me that?" L fumed, embarrassed.

"Sorry, about that," Bea said, covering her mouth in surprise that she said something like that. Then, she returned to her mocking tone. "But I've always thought it interesting that L stands for lesbian."

"Alright, now you're pushin' it," L warned, sitting upright. Bea slapped her mouth closed again.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me," Bea apologized. "It won't happen again."

"So, why are you wearing his clothing?" Q asked, smirking. "You two shits haven't been fucking around, have you?" Jay and Bea blushed.

"No," Jay said immediately.

"I got a bit too hot for my clothing," Bea smirked. "And apparently, I was too hot for those Hildebears, too."

Jay clarified by saying, "She used some kinda weird Gifoie to incinerate the Hildebears by setting herself on fire. In the process, she also destroyed her clothing. This is all that's left." He took out a blackened rag that appeared to be the remains of her hat."

"Why the fuck would you do some stupid shit like that?" Q asked.

"Why would anyone name their daughter Cutey?" Bea smirked back, visibly angering the Hunewearl.

"You little…oooh!" Q groaned. "You know I hate that name!"

"Bea, are you okay?" Jay asked. "You've been acting differently lately…like really random."

"I'm fine as long as I'm near you," she smiled, blowing a ring of smoke into his face. Then her face became panicked. "Okay, there is something very wrong! I didn't just say that. I feel it, alright, but _I_ didn't say it."

"It came right out of your lips," Jay said, looking worried. The door suddenly opened and a somewhat tall woman with long midnight blue hair stepped in, looking very insecure. She wore black bicycle shorts, a matching shirt, a bare midriff, and black sneakers. She was also quite pale and had purple eyes, a somewhat rare attribute.

"Can we help you?" Ci asked.

"This is ABC, right?" the newcomer said quickly.

"Yes," Ci answered. "Do you have a quest for us?"

"I need some Androids to escort me down to Ragol," she said quickly.

"May I ask why you want to go there?" Ci questioned. "It's no place for normal civilians." The client seemed to be annoyed by the questions.

"I'm definitely not normal," she said, cradling her arms shakily. She was looking around at everyone distractedly. Her eyes seemed to stop on Bea for a moment. Before anyone could make a comment she said, "I need to go down there, so that I can feed."

"Excuse me?"

"I need blood, dammit!" she yelled. "If I don't get more soon, there's no telling what I might do! Here, look at this!" She tossed a disk to Ci, who caught it and played it on the screen. A picture of Ace appeared standing next to the woman. It was a recording.

"Hey, guys," Ace's voice said. "This is Ace. I want you to help out Nyx. To get straight to the point, she's kind of a vampire."

"You've gotta be kidding me," G muttered.

"Eh, I've seen weirder," Jay shrugged.

"I know it sounds crazy," Ace continued, "but I'm totally serious. After that explosion on Ragol, Pioneer 2 stopped giving out blood transfusions so easily. Now, they doctors' orders and prescriptions and stuff. That was Nyx's main supply. You have to get her down to Ragol as soon a possible! I'll buy you guys some time, but you have to hurry! Good luck!"

"What does he mean by 'buying you guys some time?'" Ci asked.

"He gave me as much of his blood as he could without killing himself," Nyx said exasperatedly. "But I need more! Now, are you going to help me or not? Because if you aren't, I want someone to destroy me right here, right now!"

"Well, I was going to ask about our pay and why you chose Androids," Ci started. Then she nodded to D, G, and P. "Let's be quick about this." They all ran to the transporter that would lead them to the Ragol transporter.

* * *

"Damn!" Nyx growled, shielding her eyes from the sun. She had forgot all about the daylight to be expected on Ragol.

"Shouldn't you be melting or something?" the purple Racast asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, vampires don't just walk around in the sun like this," G agreed.

"Shut up!" Nyx shouted. "Isn't there supposed to be a darker part of the forest?"

"Yes, but…" Ci began.

"Then, stop wasting time and take me there!" Nyx yelled, covering her closed eyes. "And one of you big bots, shield me from the sun."

"What a bitch," D muttered.

"Boomas, straight ahead," P said, stopping them.

"Why are we stopping!" Nyx shouted.

"We have to clear them out to unlock the gate," Ci explained.

"Gate?" Nyx squinted open one eye and saw the offending gate and the approaching Boomas. While the Androids, with their rifles and P's slicer, attacked the Boomas, Nyx ran straight for the gate. After grabbing onto the door for a few seconds, she managed to rip it out of its hinges and toss it into the Boomas. The androids stared at what she had just done. P, with her superior facial structure, actually gaped at the flattened Boomas with her jaw hanging wide open.

"What does she need us for again?" P asked.

"Let's go already!" Nyx called to them. "I can't see out here!" They caught up to her and ran into another pack of Boomas. "Just show me where the gate is!" P took her by the hand and led her to the correct gate.

"There, it's right in front of you!" P said, standing back. Nyx charged forth and knocked the gate down with a feral growl.

"So much blood!" Nyx growled, as her voice became increasingly bestial. "I can smell it! I want it now!" P took her by the hand once again to lead her to the nearby transporter to Forest 2.

The first thing Nyx felt when she materialized in the dark forest was liquid falling all around her. She opened her mouth and lapped at the air, snorted when she found that it was only water. Then she opened her eyes and studied her surroundings.

"No animals around here," P said, also looking around. Nyx suddenly turned around and stared directly at her. "Whoa, what happened to your eyes?" The whites of her eyes had become blood red. Suddenly, she pounced onto P and held her down on the ground.

"Hold it right there," G said as he, D, and C aimed their rifles directly at her. She turned around to see them with her menacing eyes, causing them to step back reflexively. P took the chance to flip Nyx over her and hop to her feet. Nyx immediately leapt back at P, who stopped her by stabbing the crazed woman with her slicer. Nyx growled like a wildcat, pressed forward, despite the sharp object in her stomach, and grabbed onto P. She bit down into the soft flesh of her neck and felt the heat of photon fly by her.

"Let her go!" D yelled, putting his rifle to her head. "This is your last warning."

Nyx noticed the sickening taste of oil in her mouth and pushed P away. Then, she grabbed D's rifle and bent the barrel backwards. Before he could do anything else, she grabbed his arm and flung him down a hill. The photon bullets from Ci and G's rifles struck her side immediately. She hissed and grabbed the rifles from them, breaking them in her hands. Then, she picked up G by digging her fingers into his chest plate with one hand, and tossed him down the hill. She took a good look at Ci before doing anything. She looked like a human, but her skin was silver and metallic. Ci took a defensive stance.

"Oh no you don't!" P yelled, jumping at her with a kick. Nyx caught her foot, slammed her on the ground and bent her knee in a way that it wasn't supposed to bend. Then, she flung P into G and D, who were coming back up the hill. Of course, they all tumbled back down the hill. Nyx then turned back to Ci. She slowly approached the Racaseal and sniffed at her. Ci was actually paralyzed with fear, an emotion she was not used to experiencing. After a few seconds of sniffing, Nyx lost interest in her and removed the slicer that had been sticking out of her belly, making sure to lick off the blood. She sniffed the air and unnecessarily destroyed an unlocked gate. The moment she entered the next section, a horde of Gigoboomas and wolves appeared, along with a couple of Hildebears. As they growled at her, she snarled back like a lioness.

Soon, there nothing but the sound of gnashing teeth, slashing claws, and pained roars. Ci crept over to the gate to take a peek. When she saw the chaos, she quickly looked away and sank down the ground, burying her head between her knees.

"Princess, I think we'd better get outta here," G said, walking over cautiously.

She snapped out of her daze and looked up to the Racast. She couldn't say anything. She could only nod in compliance.


	12. Nyx's Recovery

**Nyx's Recovery**

Ci walked into the ABC headquarters silently, led by G.

"Done already?" Jay asked. "Hey, where're P and Heavy D?"

"D took P to the hospital," G said simply. "Her leg's broken."

"What happened?" Bea asked with concern. Ci began to shudder and shiver uncontrollably.

"It's okay," G whispered to her. "You're safe now. Just relax over there at the bar." She walked uneasily over to the bar and sat with her head down. "That Nyx, chick… She wasn't kiddin' about not being normal."

"What, did she freak out?" Jay asked. "It's probably just a blood fetish."

"No, you don't understand," the black Racast replied quickly. "Nyx is fuckin' crazy! At first she was just being a bitch about getting to Forest 2 since it was too bright in the first area. Next thing we know, she's attacking us and slaughtering every animal in sight."

"You look alright to me," L commented.

"Does she look alright?" G countered, motioning toward Ci who was still sitting with her head buried in her arms at the bar. "I've never seen the princess like that. Even in the face of android-haters, Newks, Droids, terrorists, and kidnappers, she never showed any real fear. It was always just caution and awareness of danger to her, just like any other Android. But that person over there is full of real fear."

"So where's Nyx now?" Bea asked.

"We left her in Forest 2," G said.

"Well, someone has to go get her. We can't just leave her there."

"What makes you say that?" G asked seriously. "I don't think she was joking when she told us to kill her on the spot if we couldn't get her blood in time. We shot her a few times and she treated it like we were chucking snowballs at her."

"If everything you say is true, she should have all she needs by now," Bea said.

"And what if she doesn't?" G asked. Bea frowned at him and walked out the door.

"Dammit," Jay cursed, following her. G walked over to where Ci was and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Come on. I'll give you a ride home."

* * *

When Bea and Jay arrived in Forest 2, they were met with the smell of blood. They glanced at one another and moved toward the broken gate. When they looked through, they saw what looked like the end result of a massacre. Animal bodies were tangled and twisted in horrible ways. There were various dismemberments all over the ground. The soil was soaked in blood. Suddenly they heard a sniffle from behind. They turned around, with sword and scepter ready. There Nyx was, sitting by the hill amongst supply boxes, covered in blood, with shredded clothing.

"You don't have to worry about me," she whimpered. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Did you do that?" Jay asked, pointing at the disaster beyond the gate.

She nodded sadly. "That's what happens when I go through my hunger pains. I'm sorry I attacked your friends."

"It's okay," Bea said, approaching her slowly. "P's leg will be repaired. And Ci…well I'm sure Ci will get over it."

"Say, why didn't you massacre them like you did those animals?" Jay asked a little too casually.

"Androids have oil for blood," Nyx replied. "As long as they didn't attack me, I knew I wouldn't hurt them too much."

"And how did you get so strong?" Jay continued.

"The extra nutrients in all the blood I drink," Nyx answered. "The strange thing is, the closer I get to death, the stronger and harder to kill I become."

"Are you ready to go?" Bea asked gently.

"Yes," Nyx said. "But I don't think I'm up to standing on my own yet. I'll probably be set for at least a month before I even think about blood again."

"It's okay," Bea smiled. "Jay…"

"She's covered in blood," Jay said, frowning. "Can't we at least dunk her in the pond a few times?"

"Jay…" Bea warned.

"Or just let the rain wash it off first?" he continued.

"Jay, if you don't…" Bea began.

"I'll take care of it," Nyx said, beginning to lick herself like a cat.

"So what, you're a cat now?" Jay asked.

"Newman, actually," Nyx said, pushing her hair aside just enough to reveal a long pointed ear.

* * *

When they arrived at her apartment, Nyx invited them inside. There, they found Ace sleeping on the couch, looking unusually pale.

"So this is where he's been," Jay said, putting Nyx down.

"I didn't trust myself to go to his place, so he came here," she said quietly. She walked over to him and placed a hand against his cheek. "He's such a sweet guy."

"…You're in love with him, aren't you?" Bea asked after a moment. Nyx smiled with a rosy hue on her face and nodded.

"Oh, boy," Jay muttered, beginning to walk out. "My mush meter is going off. I'll be in the car."

"Don't mind him," Bea giggled.

"He can handle seeing a field of mangled bodies, yet he can't stand a tender moment," Nyx smiled weakly. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," she replied. "Don't you think you should lie down? You probably used up a lot of energy and it'll take a while for you to digest."

"You're just like Mother," Nyx smiled. "After myself, of course, I've never met anyone more like her. I hope you meet her someday."

"Um…thanks, I guess," Bea said uneasily.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she said, immediately looking through drawers. "Your payment."

"Don't worry about it," Bea insisted. "Getting you under control is good enough."

"Take this," Nyx said, forcing a card into her hand. "Use it to take as much Meseta from my account as you want."

"I wouldn't feel right," Bea said, trying to give it back. Suddenly it was snatched from her hand.

"Yoink!" Jay said from behind her. "Never refuse monetary payment."

"I thought you were in the car," Bea said in an irritated tone.

"I was eavesdropping outside," he said, taking a good look at the card. "Say, Nyx, what kind of work do you do for a living?"

"I work at Regalia as Bloodlust," Nyx said, looking at Ace. "That's where I met him."

"Figures," Jay sighed.

"I'm sure you know about some of his other…um friends from Regalia," Bea smiled nervously.

Nyx nodded. "I know all about them. He goes to Hilda when he wants a workout. He comes to me every month or so for…obvious reasons. I also already know that he has many girls to visit. But personally, I think his favorites are the Newman Twins, Chandra and Selene."

"And you still think you have a chance with him?" Jay asked, immediately getting an elbow in the gut from Bea.

"We should get going now," Bea said, grabbing Jay by the collar and pulling him out the door. "If you ever need anything, you know how to contact us." They exited, closing the door behind them.

"We'll meet again Beatrice, my sister," Nyx thought aloud.

"She's your sister?" Ace asked, startling her.

"I was trying to be dramatic," Nyx said, catching her breath. "I'd appreciate it if you kept that a secret for now."

"Why?" Ace asked, sitting up.

"There are people that don't have our best interest in mind," Nyx said, sitting next to him and leaning her head on him. "They are the kind of people that would starve me just to use me as a weapon…Try to keep that a secret, too."

"Okay…Um…do you have any more secrets?"

"Maybe another time."


End file.
